Bad Guest Behavior and Disney's reactions to it...

[trr1]

Disney does nothing when it comes to flash photos on ride. It's rampant on Pirates. Flashes all over the place. Never heard a peep from any CM's.

What they should do is stop the ride immediately, make an announcement about not using your flash, then start the ride again. It will either embarrass the moron using the flash or get everyone so ed that they start screaming at the person.

can they stop the boat on Pirate mid ride?

 

[ChrisFL]

can they stop the boat on Pirate mid ride?

Only if you yell out the name of the guy that died when they were building the ride, the ghost of him will stop the whole ride (or so they say)

 

[mousefanwhat?]

:sohappy:

The ultimate scene I witnessed in WDW:

A father screaming at his obviously exhausted, overheated, crying child "I paid $15,000 for this vacation and you're damn well going to have fun or we're never coming back to see Mickey Mouse again!"

Yeah.... That'll work!

LMAO! priceless.:ROFLOL::lol: mandatory fun time!

 

[Phonedave]

Be careful,your elitism, as well as the elitest attitudes of a few others here, is showing. I have worked at Six Flags, The Art Institute of Chicago AND as an usher on Broadway. And I can assure you that the Membership of the Art Institute and the audiences of a Broadway show behave far worse than anything Six Flags threw at me. No contest. People with money (or, if you rather, people who are spending what they perceive to be a lot of money) pretty much expect to do whatever they want, and when you tell them they can't do something they become rather abusive.

I am currently working at A Steady Rain on Broadway. The last two months I was in the Orchestra (home to the $300 ticket). It was pretty much one rude person after another, not following instructions, arguing over seat locations, complaining about having to turn off phones, etc. The mezzanine, home to the $125 ticket and the student rush section, is practically a vacation in comparison. Lots of pleases and thank you's, following instructions, ask questions politely, etc.

At the Art Institute, having to deal with members (many of whom were obscenely wealthy) was just as irritating. I think many saw themselves as having an ownership stake in the museum, and often felt compelled to tell us what they deserve to get as opposed to what was being offered. They were some of the nastiest people to deal with.

At Six Flags, we had essentially the same problem with guest misbehavior that Disney does. But rarely did ever come close to what I dealt with daily on broadway or at The Art Institute.

To blame "lower-class" people (how dare they come to Disney World) is not only insulting, but not indicative of the problem at all. You would be hard-pressed to find any correlation between the opening of the "Value Resorts (which are ONLY a Value based on Disney's other hotels, and not a "value" by industry standards). The majority of Disney Parks' guests stay off-site, and most probably don't pay anywhere near the Deluxe or moderate prices.



I dare you to prove that the guests who misbehave are disproportionately staying at a "value" resort. I'd bet that most of the guests that cause problems (assuming they stay on property) are staying at a Deluxe or Moderate. I think the problem everyone is talking about is attributable to societal standards as a whole and not one sub-class.

Go read my response to SlappyMagoo and then get back to me.

I knew my comments were going to be misconstrued.

It's not about how much money you have or don't have, it's about how much you are spending relative to what you do have. Heck, it really is not even about the money, it's about feeling like you are doing something special, because that seems to be about the only thing that makes people behave. Forget being polite just for the sake of being polite.

Your comments about orchestra vs. mezzanine are right on the mark. That $125 ticket is a big deal to a student. Heck, it's big deal to me. Here is a little secret, my kids and I sit in the mezzanine when we see Broadway shows - and we behave. The $300 orchestra ticket is not that big a deal to someone making $500,000+ per year.

That is what happened to WDW. They lost the " specialness". It's not about the money, it's about the feeling that you are doing something special and should act accordingly. However, at this point, money is about the only thing that makes a lot of people feel special.

I used to work in a field service job myself. I have seen the same things you describe. Some of the people with the least money are the nicest people on the face of the earth. Those with money - big money, as in $2M+ houses - not so nice to a person coming out to do a job.

So not, its not elitism, it's all about and individuals perceived value of an experience.

-dave

 

[_Scar]

^It's quite simple. Do what I do now.

Turn and take flash photos of them.



Every ten seconds. :goodnevil

:lol::sohappy:

Sometimes I'm embarrassed to be a teen when hearing these stories.

Almost don't wanna go to grad night next year because I'm afraid it would be a total "guys, don't do that" sorta thing. :/


My love for Disney they would not understand lol

 

[wvdisneyfamily]

OK - I am going to get smacked by some of you for this, but I will throw it out there anyway.

- The (To quote 47) 'Wal*Marting" of WDW

- Discounts and promos galore. Making a trip to WDW not something extra special, but a common occurrence (Disney would rather have 50 people pay $20 each, than 5 people pay $100 each)

- The recent thread about dress code, and how some people wish for a return to the time when going to WDW was something special and you took the time to look presentable.

Take all that into account, mix in the entitlement attitude of many people today and you have a recipe for parks filled with people who see them as nothing more special than a trip to the local Great Adventure, and act accordingly.

I will continue to defend Disney and WDW when I feel they are making good decisions, but in this case you reap what you sow. Disney has sown a crop of stinkweed.
-dave

I get what you are saying. People take opportunities for granted almost and act like total jerks in the process. Somethings that used to be rewards or treats are expected and don't merit any kind of special behavior. DH and I were talking about this the other night with pizza as an example. We grew up in the 80s when it was a BIG deal to order pizza. My dad worked two jobs to keep our house going so my mom could stay at home while I was little. When I was in first grade, I got pink eye and chicken pox back to back. My dad felt so sorry for me that he ordered a pizza for dinner because that was my favorite food. Now, that may not seem like a big deal, but it was. Restaurant pizza was a good twenty bucks back in the day. It was a special treat. Now, kids expect it. They think mom and dad should buy them pizza if that's what they want to eat. I know it's a very loose correlation to your point, but what I'm saying is related. We've gone from a special experiences society to an expected experiences society. The behavior change goes with that. Things that were once presented as treats are now givens and motivators for positive behavior are gone. Not that people should be rewarded for what they should do anyway (i.e. good manners, etc...).

I normally keep to myself/my party but last weekend I yelled at people using flash photography every 5 secs on a ride (after told not to) and I blocked the line and yelled at teens for trying to jump the line.
:fork:

I completely understand.

Perhaps Mickey and Goofy should make a common courtesy guidebook to hand out to tourists..err...guests when they enter the park and see if it helps any?

HA! :ROFLOL:

 

[Rob562]

can they stop the boat on Pirate mid ride?

I know that in certain parts they can, there are "barriers" in the water that pop up and stop the boats.

But I don't know how wide-spread they are throughout the ride. The only place I know of one for-sure is just before the drop, but that's more of a safety stop than anything else.

We actually were stopped by it back in June. The boat in front of us was overloaded, and got stuck at the top of the drop. When our boat approached, the bumper popped up to stop us because the flume ahead wasn't clear. (After about 5 minutes a CM appeared and was able to get the boat in front of us over the falls, and the system went back to normal, though the bumper may have had to stop boats behind us, too, because we'd all bunched up and there wasn't the proper spacing anymore)

-Rob

 

[archangel2790]

Rant warning...

My wife and I spent our first anniversary this year at WDW, and for the most part, it was a great trip. We loved staying at the Wilderness Lodge and eating at Artist's Point.

We saw the same things that have been mentioned in so many other posts before; a lack of class. Is this a price issue? I don't think so, not directly anyway. I think that if you can afford it, everyone should visit WDW at least once. It's a magical place, I think we can all agree on that.

Coming from what I consider to be a middle class family, we only made one trip to WDW every other year. In fact when the oil crunch of the 80's hit, it dropped to even less than that. Mom was a high school teacher and dad was manager of a music store, so while we weren't starving, there wasn't a whole lot of extra floating around.

When we did visit WDW, it was literally magical. My dad was one who didn't joke around a lot, but when we were at WDW, the kid in him came out. I remember those trips fondly, mostly because it was SPECIAL and a big deal for us to be able to go.

What I perceive when my wife and I visit is the entitlement attitude of "You owe me", and it makes me sick. It's only getting worse. It used to be rare that we saw an event where adults, not just kids or teens, were acting "less than adult", but in the last two trips, we've seen it repeatedly.

At any rate, I really do think it's a class issue. Some people just don't have any. You know, I've seen people that clearly were not "well off" move out of the way so that a little girl in a wheelchair could see the screen at RnR better, and BE HAPPY that that they could help make that child happy. So it must not be a money issue. On the other side of the coin, I saw a guest that, while in line at Test Track, got upset and made some pretty rude comments to no one in particular because someone got to ride twice, without having to exit. I couldn't resist it, and made a comment to my wife that I hoped this jerk's wife and kids would hear. "Isn't it great what Disney does for the Make A Wish Foundation? Did you see how bright that little girl's smile was? Man, that's awesome. I hope Disney keeps programs like this around." Maybe it worked, maybe not, but after that his wife gave him a look that could kill! :goodnevil

Seriously, I don't believe it has to be all that extreme. A simple excuse me or I'm sorry or ANYTHING other than NOTHING goes a long way. I've had people literally knock me down. (I walk with a cane, bad knees.) But the one that I remember the most is the teen who knocked me to the ground in Tomorrowland on his way to the newly refurbed SM. It's happened before. I didn't think he was even going to stop, so when he did, stammering out his apology with the color drained from his face and he helped me up and over to a bench, I was blown away. His folks even came over and offered to get some ice! Class, people. These folks had it, and they taught it to their son. But unfortunately, it looks like it's becoming more and more rare.

I don't think that people are at heart bad or evil. I think that the attitude is simply a reflection of the times. Things are just not appreciated as fully as in times past. Do I think we should return to the past? Not so much! I like my A/C and cable internet, heh heh:wave: But maybe if we stop and think before we jump to conclusions and scream in the face of that guest, CM or manager... I don't know, we could do worse!

Just my two pennies, I thought I'd share.

 

[Philo]

I don't think this really comes down to class. Of course there are always some who just have no respect who will ruin it for everyone but I think the whole problem is just a changing social attitude.

I have met plenty of very affluent people who will do what they want. This is especially true to teenagers who seem to think that if the worst happens, Daddy will sort it out for them.

I honestly believe that the problem comes down to people being more aware of the way parks are run. They know that forcibly removing them from the park is not easy, they know that could try and sue if they are removed and they know full well that even being confronted with a CM or security guard is unlikely (no disrespect to CMs. I just mean your very out-numbered and there is only so much action you can take).

What do they have to fear? I'm sure 20 years ago people were a little less aware of the policies etc and feared the consequences of actions a little more.

 

[Tiggerfanatic]

You see this all over, not just at Disney. Our "politically correct" society is creating an "All for me, none for you" mentality, that everyone is entitled to something for nothing, all you have to do is yell and complain about any little thing, and you can get something for free. A woman I work with used to brag about getting free meals at restaurants by waiting until she was almost finished with her meal, then complaining to the management that her soup was cold, or she found a stem in her green beans. It's sad, when you stop and think about it.

 

[cblodg]

...after touring the parks today, one thing stuck out in my mind...both on the TTA and hearing Splash Mountain as I walked near it...I heard several PA announcements from CM's telling guests to stay seated.

We've also heard of rumors that there will be lap bars installed on Splash Mountain, doors on the parking lot trams, and we've already seen major increases in the warnings on SSE (before the refurb and now) on guests staying put.

So is this a bigger issue than 10-20 years ago, or is Disney afraid of the bad press/lawyers causing more issues?

Somehow, after hearing the CM's having to constantly do these announcements on the PA, I think it's a bigger issue.

Does anyone know if this is happening at DL also?

I don't see why people can't just use common sense. Yes, I know common sense isn't really "common" but it's still disturbing.

What would we see next? Lap bars on the TTA and SSE?

It's a bigger issue now. For some reason people like to push the limits. It's that "do the opposite of what you're told" mantra. You're told not to touch, what's the first thing a hellian is gonna do? Try to reach out and touch it.

I personally would like to see the CMs standing by the exit of the ride and escort the offenders out of the park. They can see when someone is doing something. Now, if it were a small child then you don't escort them out, but if we're talking tweens, teens and adults here; you send them out!

 

[mousefanwhat?]

My wife and I spent our first anniversary this year at WDW, and for the most part, it was a great trip. We loved staying at the Wilderness Lodge and eating at Artist's Point.

We saw the same things that have been mentioned in so many other posts before; a lack of class. Is this a price issue? I don't think so, not directly anyway. I think that if you can afford it, everyone should visit WDW at least once. It's a magical place, I think we can all agree on that.

Coming from what I consider to be a middle class family, we only made one trip to WDW every other year. In fact when the oil crunch of the 80's hit, it dropped to even less than that. Mom was a high school teacher and dad was manager of a music store, so while we weren't starving, there wasn't a whole lot of extra floating around.

When we did visit WDW, it was literally magical. My dad was one who didn't joke around a lot, but when we were at WDW, the kid in him came out. I remember those trips fondly, mostly because it was SPECIAL and a big deal for us to be able to go.

What I perceive when my wife and I visit is the entitlement attitude of "You owe me", and it makes me sick. It's only getting worse. It used to be rare that we saw an event where adults, not just kids or teens, were acting "less than adult", but in the last two trips, we've seen it repeatedly.

At any rate, I really do think it's a class issue. Some people just don't have any. You know, I've seen people that clearly were not "well off" move out of the way so that a little girl in a wheelchair could see the screen at RnR better, and BE HAPPY that that they could help make that child happy. So it must not be a money issue. On the other side of the coin, I saw a guest that, while in line at Test Track, got upset and made some pretty rude comments to no one in particular because someone got to ride twice, without having to exit. I couldn't resist it, and made a comment to my wife that I hoped this jerk's wife and kids would hear. "Isn't it great what Disney does for the Make A Wish Foundation? Did you see how bright that little girl's smile was? Man, that's awesome. I hope Disney keeps programs like this around." Maybe it worked, maybe not, but after that his wife gave him a look that could kill! :goodnevil

Seriously, I don't believe it has to be all that extreme. A simple excuse me or I'm sorry or ANYTHING other than NOTHING goes a long way. I've had people literally knock me down. (I walk with a cane, bad knees.) But the one that I remember the most is the teen who knocked me to the ground in Tomorrowland on his way to the newly refurbed SM. It's happened before. I didn't think he was even going to stop, so when he did, stammering out his apology with the color drained from his face and he helped me up and over to a bench, I was blown away. His folks even came over and offered to get some ice! Class, people. These folks had it, and they taught it to their son. But unfortunately, it looks like it's becoming more and more rare.

I don't think that people are at heart bad or evil. I think that the attitude is simply a reflection of the times. Things are just not appreciated as fully as in times past. Do I think we should return to the past? Not so much! I like my A/C and cable internet, heh heh:wave: But maybe if we stop and think before we jump to conclusions and scream in the face of that guest, CM or manager... I don't know, we could do worse!

Just my two pennies, I thought I'd share.

well said.

 

[UberMouse]

I think that it is more or less a sign of the times guys. I can remember going to WDW when 20 years ago, I was 12 years old, and my mom was pregnant and didn't really want to leave the room, so my Dad stayed with her and my brother and me went to the parks all by ourselves. My Brother would have been 9 at the time. We rode everything, and as I recall we both behaved as if our parents were with us. I guess it is a quality of how some people are raised now days too. We were raised with a firm hand, and were taught respect. Of course, there are many people my age now that act stupid, and probably are stupid, and mess up everyone's experience. We leave will be at WDW for 8 days starting this Saturday, and it will be the first time there for my father-in-law since he was about 8 years old. So we are hoping to have fun showing him around the park, all while keeping our fingers crossed that some moron does not tick him off and ruin his experience.

-Jeff

 

[cblodg]

I think that it is more or less a sign of the times guys. I can remember going to WDW when 20 years ago, I was 12 years old, and my mom was pregnant and didn't really want to leave the room, so my Dad stayed with her and my brother and me went to the parks all by ourselves. My Brother would have been 9 at the time. We rode everything, and as I recall we both behaved as if our parents were with us. I guess it is a quality of how some people are raised now days too. We were raised with a firm hand, and were taught respect. Of course, there are many people my age now that act stupid, and probably are stupid, and mess up everyone's experience. We leave will be at WDW for 8 days starting this Saturday, and it will be the first time there for my father-in-law since he was about 8 years old. So we are hoping to have fun showing him around the park, all while keeping our fingers crossed that some moron does not tick him off and ruin his experience.

-Jeff

BINGO! I may be only 25, but when I was brought up, I learned that "no meant no" and you didn't dare step out of line infront of dad. Now he didn't beat us or anything so don't stick on that, but when we as kids misbehaved, we did get spanked or slapped. If we started to act up, my mom did take us out of the store. I also grew up in a family that scrimped ans saved and going to Disney was not a casual trip but a luxury.

That's all missing today. I see kids throwing huge temper-tantrums just to get what they want and when they do they shut up. That's where entitlement comes from, in my opinion. Now I know, sometimes the working single moms can't leave the store because they need those groceries now, but when I grew up you didn't do these kinds of things.

I have told snotting tween girls on their cell phones off for b*tching that they had to wait in line so long. The mom in front of me had a daughter with very special food needs. The lack of consideration for others is something I can't understand with this generation (listen to me all of 25 sounding like I'm some 40 year old who's seen it all).

 

[Figment632]

You see this all over, not just at Disney. Our "politically correct" society is creating an "All for me, none for you" mentality, that everyone is entitled to something for nothing, all you have to do is yell and complain about any little thing, and you can get something for free. A woman I work with used to brag about getting free meals at restaurants by waiting until she was almost finished with her meal, then complaining to the management that her soup was cold, or she found a stem in her green beans. It's sad, when you stop and think about it.

Yep so many people in this country think they have the right to live beyond thier means. SUB PRIME MORGAGES!

 

[wm49rs]

I don't necessarily see class or even nationality being an issue either. I do think the sense of entitlement plays a big role. But in a sense WDW has brought that on themselves with their annual price hikes. The more the tickets cost, the more people are going to believe they can do whatever they want because of the prices they've paid to be in the parks.....

 

[Tom]

It's not about how much money you have or don't have, it's about how much you are spending relative to what you do have. Heck, it really is not even about the money, it's about feeling like you are doing something special, because that seems to be about the only thing that makes people behave. Forget being polite just for the sake of being polite.

That is what happened to WDW. They lost the " specialness". It's not about the money, it's about the feeling that you are doing something special and should act accordingly. However, at this point, money is about the only thing that makes a lot of people feel special.

So not, its not elitism, it's all about and individuals perceived value of an experience.

-dave

You're really hitting the nail on the head. I especially like your last sentence. You summed up what I was trying to say.

:lol::sohappy:

Sometimes I'm embarrassed to be a teen when hearing these stories.

Almost don't wanna go to grad night next year because I'm afraid it would be a total "guys, don't do that" sorta thing. :/

My love for Disney they would not understand lol

And unfortunately, you're an island in your generational ocean. Keep on chugging in your beliefs and don't succumb to your peers.

We saw the same things that have been mentioned in so many other posts before; a lack of class. Is this a price issue? I don't think so, not directly anyway. I think that if you can afford it, everyone should visit WDW at least once. It's a magical place, I think we can all agree on that...

...When we did visit WDW, it was literally magical...

What I perceive when my wife and I visit is the entitlement attitude of "You owe me", and it makes me sick. It's only getting worse. It used to be rare that we saw an event where adults, not just kids or teens, were acting "less than adult", but in the last two trips, we've seen it repeatedly.

At any rate, I really do think it's a class issue. Some people just don't have any. You know, I've seen people that clearly were not "well off" move out of the way so that a little girl in a wheelchair could see the screen at RnR better, and BE HAPPY that that they could help make that child happy. So it must not be a money issue...

I don't think that people are at heart bad or evil. I think that the attitude is simply a reflection of the times. Things are just not appreciated as fully as in times past. Do I think we should return to the past? Not so much! I like my A/C and cable internet, heh heh:wave: But maybe if we stop and think before we jump to conclusions and scream in the face of that guest, CM or manager... I don't know, we could do worse!

Like someone else said, "Well said". Again, there are two definitions for the word "class" in this discussion. There's personal class (as in, you're a classy person or you're not). Then there's society class (upper, middle, lower, blue collar, etc). This is mostly about personal class. These people who do these things have no CLASS.

I don't think this really comes down to class. Of course there are always some who just have no respect who will ruin it for everyone but I think the whole problem is just a changing social attitude.

I have met plenty of very affluent people who will do what they want. This is especially true to teenagers who seem to think that if the worst happens, Daddy will sort it out for them.

Right! No demographic or "class" fully complies with the statistics or stereotypes.

Statistically (not stereotypically), the non-classy people have no class because they're in a lower "class" of society. They have nothing, so they respect nothing. And it becomes a price issue as a direct result of classes and statistical income levels of those classes.

"Lower Class" means lower income in our society. Lower income statistically has shown lower personal class. Again, I'm not throwing the stereotype blanket over an entire demographic - there are plenty of diamonds in the rough, while there are also plenty of chunks of coal in the diamonds.

You see this all over, not just at Disney. Our "politically correct" society is creating an "All for me, none for you" mentality, that everyone is entitled to something for nothing, all you have to do is yell and complain about any little thing, and you can get something for free. A woman I work with used to brag about getting free meals at restaurants by waiting until she was almost finished with her meal, then complaining to the management that her soup was cold, or she found a stem in her green beans. It's sad, when you stop and think about it.

You read my mind.

 

[DisneyJoe]

That is what happened to WDW. They lost the " specialness". It's not about the money, it's about the feeling that you are doing something special and should act accordingly.

So how do you propose they fix this?

I know many that still feel that Disney is the most special/magical vacation that anyone can take, and many of my clients agree.

 

[UberMouse]

Absolutely! My Wife and I count the days from one trip to the next. It really helps us get through the depressing winter months of the North, which is where I am most of the time. A year is never complete without at least one week at WDW, and the magic that comes with it. Just maybe that is the Magical part. WDW can magically take away depression unlike any prescribed drug.

-Jeff

 

[Krack2]

So how do you propose they fix this?

They can't. At least not under the current business model. Right now, they will do anything they can to get people through the gates and keep the parks at maximum capacity as many days of the year as they can - the theory being that even if the tickets and rooms and dining need to be reduced to get them there, they will make back far more in merchandise sales and food sales you'd buy at the carts (soda, water, ice cream, candy, etc). They don't even advertise towards adults anymore, every commercial is for young kids. Why? I suspect it's because young kids kick and scream and force impulse merchandise buys from their parents - and that's where the real money is. I've said this in a couple other threads, but I think it's a long-term disaster in the making.